Greater New Orleans

About 200 Harvey residents have sued retired Judge Joseph Grefer and several companies over a 33-acre tract near the Harvey Canal that was contaminated with radioactive oil field waste, according to a WWL-TV report.
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune file photo)

Harvey residents have sued a retired Jefferson Parish judge and several companies over an offshore cleaning pipe operation that contaminated the property, according to a report by WWL-TV. Retired Judge Joseph Grefer, who won a record $1 billion in damages against ExxonMobil, is the property owner and a defendant in the lawsuit filed by 200 residents.

They claim radioactive contamination left behind on the 33-acre tract near the Harvey Canal has sickened family members and poses a health risk, WWL said. Plaintiff Sheila Herron told the station her parents died of cancer and two sisters succumbed to sudden illnesses. Herron said her family ate vegetables from a garden her father planted nearby.

It is the latest of several lawsuits that have been filed over the tract bounded by Breaux Avenue, Pailet Avenue, St. Joseph Lane and 16th Street.

In 1997, an Orleans Parish jury awarded Grefer $1 billion in punitive damages and $56 million for cleanup. That amount was reduced to $112 million for punitive damages on appeal.